So it transpires that Gov. Paterson not only had advance knowledge of efforts to “counsel” a woman who was seeking protection from one of his closest aides, he was personally involved in the scandal.

Does he still think he can govern New York state?

He can’t.

He couldn’t before this latest revelation — that he ordered his press secretary to ask the woman, Sherr-una Booker, to assert publicly that she had not been physically assaulted by the aide, and that he ordered another state employee to talk Booker out of seeking a court order of protection to prevent further attacks.

And he most certainly can’t now.

It’s been a week now since Harry Corbitt — Paterson’s handpicked State Police superintendent — admitted that one of his officers contacted Booker after she reported to police that key Paterson aide David Johnson had choked her.

And, shortly thereafter, Booker effectively dropped her complaint.

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is trying to find out what actually happened, and the possibility of criminal charges being brought against Corbitt is very real.

Now it appears that Paterson himself could be standing in the dock next to Corbitt.

Make no mistake: Obstruction of justice is a very serious matter, no matter who engages in it.

For such a cloud to be hanging over the leader of the State Police is bad enough; he should have been fired days ago.

But for it to be hanging over the governor’s head, too, simply beggars the imagination.

Paterson won’t step down, alas.

But why won’t he fire his top cop?

Corbitt isn’t a run-of-the-mill state agency head. The State Police is a paramilitary agency; responsibility rests at the top of the chain of command.

In this case, with a fellow whose explanation of the contact with Booker is lame on its face: He told The New York Times that such a visit is “typical” and that the trooper who made it — the head of the governor’s personal security detail, no less — only wanted to talk about Booker’s “options.”

Clearly, the governor doesn’t want any loose cannons rolling around as Cuomo’s gumshoes do their work — and Corbitt is about as big a cannon as they come right now.

To sum it up: The head of Paterson’s security detail apparently tries to intimidate a woman who allegedly suffered domestic violence at the hands of the governor’s closest aide, while his handpicked State Police superintendent stands silent.